Publication year
2011
Citation Title
Symptoms of Posttraumatic stress disorder in men who sustain intimate partner violence: A study of helpseeking and community samples.
Journal Name
Psychology of Men and & Masculinity
Journal Volume
12
Issue Number
2
Page Numbers
112-127
DOI
10.1037/a0022983
Summary
Although 25-50% of interpersonal violence victims are male, few studies have explored the association between interpersonal violence and posttraumatic stress disorder in men. This study investigated two types of interpersonal violence, intimate terrorism and common couple violence, and examined differences in the development of postttraumatic stress symptoms. Findings indicate an association between interpersonal violence and posttraumatic stress. Moreover, men who sustained intimate terrorism had an highly increased risk of meeting clinical criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder.
Key Findings
Roughly 60% of men who experienced intimate terrorism exceeded the DSM-IV clinical cut-off for posttraumatic stress disorder.
Among men who sustained interpersonal violence, those who seek help are likely victims of intimate terrorism as opposed to common couple violence.
For men in the community sample, results suggest experiencing controlling behaviors is more traumatic than actual physical violence.
Risks for developing posttraumatic stress disorder and sustaining interpersonal violence increased if men experienced abuse as a child.
Implications for Military Professionals
Facilitate support groups for men that acknowledge interpersonal violence can be traumatizing and teach them how to safely leave unhealthy intimate relationships
Attend trainings that teach how to differentiate between common couple violence and intimate terrorism
Implications for Program Leaders
Provide education to decrease stigmatization of men seeking help after experiencing interpersonal violence
Provide programs for men and women at risk of interpersonal violence that focus on emotion regulation and effective communication
Implications for Policy Makers
Continue to support the development of institutions or support groups for men who sustain intimate terrorism
Advocate for further research regarding men who experience interpersonal violence, particularly intimate terrorism
Methods
Data were collected from two sources: a help-seeking sample and a community sample. Eligibility for the help-seeking sample included having sustained a physical assault by their partner in the last year and sought assistance and participants from both samples must have been involved in an intimate relationship lasting at least 1 month within the previous year.
Participants were recruited using online websites, newsletters, blogs, listservs, and hotlines, including the Domestic Abuse Hotline for Men and Women.
Both samples were administered the same questionnaires that assessed demographics, possible aggressive behaviors from and toward female partners in previous year, mental health, and risk factors. The help-seeking sample was asked additional questions regarding the assault and why they stayed in the relationship.
Researchers analyzed associations between intimate terrorism, common couple violence, and posttraumatic stress disorder.
Participants
Participants were 822 heterosexual men with an average age of 42 years old.
Approximately 85% of men were White with a large majority being middle-class.
The help-seeking sample (n = 302) only included men who experienced intimate terrorism and sought help whereas men in the community sample (n = 520) had experienced common couple violence.
Limitations
The data may be biased by relying solely on self-report measures and not including data from female partners.
Causality cannot be determined due to this being a cross-sectional study that did not include a pretest or comparison group to contrast against a control group.
The study may not be relevant to the overall general population since a large majority of participants were White, middle-class, and all identified as heterosexual.
Avenues for Future Research
Gather information from multiple sources to limit self-report bias and to obtain external validation
Conduct studies that recruit a more diverse sample to broaden relevance to the general population
Explore additional factors that may contribute to the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (e.g., shame and self-blame)
Focus
Civilian
Target Population
Population Focus
Abstract
Extensive work has documented an association between sustaining intimate partner violence (IPV) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among women, yet little research has documented the same association in men, even though men comprise 25–50% of all IPV victims in a given year. Previous studies also show that women who sustain intimate terrorism (IT), a form of IPV that is characterized by much violence and controlling behavior, are at even greater risk for PTSD than women who sustain common couple violence (CCV), a lower level of more minor, reciprocal IPV. However, no research has documented this trend in men who sustain IT versus CCV. The present study investigates the associations among sustaining IPV and PTSD among both a clinical and community sample of men. The clinical sample is comprised of 302 men who sustained IT from their female partners and sought help. The community sample is comprised of 520 men, 16% of whom sustained CCV. Analyses showed that in both samples, the associations between sustaining several types of IPV and PTSD were significant, and that men who sustained IT were at exponentially increased risk of exceeding the clinical cut-off on the PTSD measure than men who sustained CCV or no violence. The path models predicting PTSD symptoms differed for both samples, indicating that perhaps treatment implications differ by group as well.
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